William Jewell College first-year student Megan Kennedy has been named one of six winners of a new scholarship by the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA) and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). She competed against more than 4,000 students for the $5,000 prize, which is one of the most prestigious merit-based awards offered exclusively to federal employees and their dependents.

A native of Hoyt, Kan., Kennedy also placed as a National Merit finalist and earned several other awards. “My parents always encouraged me and set high expectations,” says Kennedy, the middle of five daughters who has lived her entire life in the same house in Hoyt, which has a population of 500. “There was never a question of whether you were going to try your hardest.” Megan is the daughter of Mark and Amy Kennedy.

Kennedy’s father has been a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service for more than 25 years. Megan says her father views his mail route as an opportunity to serve and encourage others, and she credits him with instilling her “can-do” attitude. “He has always encouraged me and told me that I can do anything I set out to do,” Kennedy says. “He has also encouraged me to pursue what will glorify God. He did not care what job I took, but that I did it well.”

Kennedy has been accepted into the Oxbridge Honors Program at William Jewell, a highly competitive academic honors program in which Jewell students pursue their majors through individual and small-group tutorials in the British style of higher education. She will spend her junior year studying abroad at Oxford or Cambridge.

Kennedy envisions herself one day in a service-oriented job in the public sector. “What I enjoy most is volunteering for children’s ministry at my church (Northland Christian Church, Topeka, Kan.),” she says. “I have taught classes and spent time as a counselor. I just love spending time with kids and getting a bit of their enthusiasm.”

The FEEA-NTEU scholarships recognize outstanding academic achievement and community service, characteristics that fulfill the mandate of both organizations to promote excellence in public service. Since 1986, FEEA has distributed more than $7 million in scholarship assistance and has provided more than $5.5 million in emergency assistance. This is the first year that the joint FEEA-NTEU “Super Scholarship” has been awarded. For more information visit the organization’s web site at www.feea.org.

With its challenging academic culture and focus on student achievement, William Jewell College promises students an outstanding liberal arts education that cultivates leadership, service and spiritual growth within a community inspired by Christian ideals and committed to open, rigorous intellectual pursuits.